Turning Passion into Action
Volunteer fulfills her personal mission through nonprofit board service
Servant leadership is important to Felecia Jones. Her belief in that principle led her to participate in mission trips around the world. It also served as the impetus behind her continuous engagement in her community, particularly around issues of social justice. It was through those experiences that she realized it was time to narrow her focus and put her leadership to work closer to home. With a passion for serving and strong conviction that diversity on boards - both corporate and nonprofit - is critical, she began a search for local nonprofits with open board positions.
“I initially came up empty handed,” Felecia explains. But her search soon led her to SHARE Omaha, which exists to make it easy to find and engage with local nonprofits in flexible, volunteer- and donor-centric ways. Built on the Share Good platform, the website amplifies the needs of the entire local nonprofit community and gives all organizations a chance to be seen and heard regardless of size, cause or budget.
Felecia signed up for weekly email updates from SHARE Omaha, which are filled with ways to get engaged in the community with a calendar of events, links to the Give Shop (which makes sending critical supplies to local nonprofits easy), and a selection of interesting volunteer opportunities.
One day not long after, one of those weekly updates changed everything. Featured prominently among the volunteer opportunities was a local nonprofit in need of board members. “I was shocked and surprised,” says Felecia. “I quickly realized - it’s all right here.”
Intent on finding a nonprofit that would benefit from her management experience, Felecia combed through the mission and vision statements of the organizations flickering across her screen until she came to Lutheran Services Corps.
Lutheran Services Corps places volunteers - often college students on extended break or recent graduates - in full-time, year-long positions with local nonprofits working on social justice issues. “They come from across the country,” explains Felecia. “Some have never been to Omaha before. They might be considering a career in the nonprofit world or have an interest in servant leadership.”
“SHARE Omaha is very user friendly. That’s what I really liked about it. Everything is available in one place,” says Felecia. “I completed an application right on the SHARE Omaha site and Lutheran Services Corps reached out not long afterwards.”
It quickly became apparent Felecia’s personal mission and that of Lutheran Service Corps were tightly aligned. She was elected to serve on the board soon afterwards.
Felecia enjoys her board role, which is part futurist and part leadership, along with a bit of advocacy. “We have a strategy meeting soon, and I’m excited to look at going forward in 2020,” she says. “I’m interested to see how we can sustain and stay involved in the community.”
“If I can do it anyone can,” Felecia adds about her search for a leadership role. “I’m now confident I have the ability to make an impact and I like knowing that I’m doing what I can to benefit my community.” If anyone asks her about finding a board position with a local nonprofit, Felecia has her answer ready. “I tell them there’s a whole list of opportunities out there. Just go to SHARE Omaha.”